On 7 April 2018, Dak Nong Provincial People’s Committee had a meeting with the International cave exploring team, established by Vietnam Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources, to hear the team’s report on preliminary results of their two weeks’ survey in the lava caves in Krong No district (Dak Nong).

Head of Provincial Department of National Resources and Environment briefly reports on the team's preliminary results of surveying, measuring and mapping the caves during 2 weeks in Krong No.

As permitted by the Provincial People's Committee, from 23rd March to 5th April 2018, the team establish by Vietnam Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Sources , joined by 4 international speleologists went on an expedition to survey, measure and map the lava tube caves in Krong No district of Dak Nong province.

The purpose of these surveying, measuring and mapping is to produce a comprehensive and detailed documentation of the lava tube caves inside the volcanic Geopark of Krong No, which might serve as the base for the protection and use of those caves. Other aims of this project include working out the newest map of as many caves as possible and a most authentic record of the total length of the lave tube cave system; providing an evaluation on the potential use of caves for ecotourism; collecting data to confirm the biodiversity of the lava cave system as well as its vicinity to support the dossier that the Province would submit to UNESCO to request its recognition of the volcanic geopark of Krong No as a global geopark.

The team shows images and video recorded during their exploration

As reported, during their 2 weeks in Krong No district, the team had surveyed 32 caves (including 7 caves being discovered during the team's exploration), of which, the total length of caves they measured was 2.800 m. As a fact, from 2012 till now, the number of caves in Krong No district that has been surveyed by international cave exploration teams is 48 cave, with the measured length of 9.573 m.

As assesed by the experts of the team, the lava tube cave system in Krong No is so far considered the most unique and longest cave system in Southest Asia. Its caves are distributed closely in very large number, which include the C7 cave with length up to 1.067m, currently being the longest cave ever found in Southeast Asia. It is not to mention that, in Southest Asia, this location of Dak Nong province is so far the first and only place that scientists have found archaeological relics dating back from prehistory inside lava tube caves. What had gone beyond expection, therefore making the team so amazed, as they said, was that they had found a lot of living animals in a wide ranges of species residing in those caves. That means a lot when it comes to talking about the biodiversity of this area.

As said by the team, all these results were to be sent to other experts of the field for further analysis and completing the report. So the team would return the final report to the province in the earliest possible time.

The international experts joining the team of cave exploration in Dak Nong province

During the meeting, the team analized the characteristics of each cave they have surveyed and made suggestion that the Province should use some sections of the cave system for developing ecotourism. The sections include the C3 and C4 cave in combination with Dray Sap waterfall; the C8 and C9 cave in combination with Chu B'luk volcano. They also hoped that the province would consider developing archaeological studies in this area.

Vice Chairwoman of the Provincial People's Committee makes statement at the meeting

Making statement at the meeting, Chairwoman of the Provincial People's Committee Ton Thi Ngoc Hanh gave special thanks to all the member of the team for their efforts and the survey results they had achieved during their time in Dak Nong. She thought the results would not only add more value to the province's dossier for requesting UNESCO's recognition the Krong No volcanic geopark as global geopark; they would also be useful for the province in planning and making the policies toward sustainbly deploying the natural herritage in the area. Vice Chairwoman Ton Thi Ngoc Hanh also expressed hope that the team would continue to support and cooperate with the province in turning the Krong No volcanic geopark into Global geopark by all ways, especially by providing the province important information on the geology, geomorphology and the potentials of the geopark, which would significantly increase the value of the dossier for submitting to UNESCO